CRISH software to curb cyber-crimes

CRISH, the short name for Customer Registration and Identification Software, has been developed by G.I. Biometrics, a Lucknow-based software company. Amit Kaushal, director of G.I. Biometrics, said that after the software is installed, those visiting cyber-cafes will be identified as soon as they sit in front of a computer to surf the Net with the help of a web camera.

CRISH will automatically store the photograph and fingerprints of Internet users in cyber-cafes in the database of the computer, with the date and time of logging in, making it extremely easy to identify persons who send out fake and threatening emails. In addition, with the use of the software, there would be no need to prepare sketches of suspects who send threatening emails as their photographs and fingerprints would be stored in the computer database.

This new software could prove to be a boon for law-enforcement agencies in different states. The technical wing of the Uttar Pradesh police has already seen a demonstration of CRISH and is making a technical analysis of its various features. It may be recalled that the UP police had made it mandatory for all cyber-cafe owners in the state to maintain a register of users. All those who want to use a computer at a cybe-cafe are now required to show an identity document. This decision was reinforced after the recent Jaipur blasts, when an email was sent to television news channels by a group called the Indian Mujahideen from a cyber-cafe in Ghaziabad. A number of cyber-cafe owners have already installed CRISH to avoid problems later.

The CRISH software could also be useful for hotels, which are also required to maintain a detailed profile their patrons. The software costs around Rs 12,000, including biometric equipment, and also has anti-hacking provisions that make it difficult to tamper with the database.